Oscar hid his face from the people in the street by turning up the collar of his jacket, he didn’t want anyone to see the ugly yellow bruise on his cheek.

Kath was waiting by the school gates talking to a girl he remembered as Danielle; they both stared at him as he passed Danielle repulsed, Kath calmly angry.

They both fallowed him and cornered him by the sports hall.

“What the hell was all that about? Your girlfriend?” Kath’s lips curled back when she said girlfriend as if it was some dirty word.

“Sorry” Oscar mumbled.

“Sorry? that’s bloody rich! why did you do it?” Danielle punctuated her sentence by shoving him back against the wall which he hit with a sickening thud and didn’t bother to move away from.

“I don’t know”

“I thought you liked guys, I wouldn’t have hung around with you if I’d thought you fancied me” Kath said angrily, not realising how awful she sounded and how far from the truth she was.

“Bugger off Kath, go and interrogate someone else” Oscar said coldly, he didn’t look away from her and for the first time she saw the bruise.

“Oscar!” she whispered, suddenly on lose footing and he pushed past her and got away to class before either of them could react.

*/*

the curtains where open letting streams of light into the room, the bed linen was fresh and cool against his skin and this new room had a television.

Andy switched from channel to channel disappointed that the highlight of his day would be choosing whether to watch overweight women cry about unfaithful husbands or a Scottish couple redesign their house.

His little sister Chloe had been brought round in the morning with a get well card seemingly made entirely out of  glitter and glue; he’d put it on his bedside and they’d watched the Tweenies together till she’d gone to play-school. and then Stella had lectured him about yesterday but he hadn’t listened because he’d already thought everything she had to say to him so she’d gone to work and left him alone.

Eventually he decided upon the Scottish couple.

*/*

“Go on, tell me about it”

Oscar looked up from his biology text box and grunted, Kath seated herself across from him and pushed the book away, she then put down her lunch in front of her and began to unpack it like they where eating lunch together normally even as she continued talking.

“Tell me how you got that bruise and if you dare tell me it was some accident…”

“My dad” Oscar said quickly before grabbing the book back and turning to the section on frog dissection.

“Your dad hit you?”

Oscar nodded, staring hard at his book so she wouldn’t see his face.

“That’s why I said about you being my girlfriend, not because I fancy you but because he gets all weird about me liking guys”

“But why’d he hit you?” Kath asked and when he didn’t answer she grabbed the book and pushed it off the table where it clattered closed; Oscar clenched his hands into fists so hard the nails left imprints in the skin drawing blood.

“I…Andy…he…and I…and my mum saw us!” it was a garbled explanation but it worked and Kath was no longer the protective friend she’d been a moment before.

“Andy was with you?” she hissed “Stella went spare when he disappeared and he was…fucking about with you!”

“It wasn’t like that!” Oscar growled, his eyes met Kath’s which were suddenly filled with pity and felt a fool.

“With Andy it always is” she said sadly and all the arguments about how it was all perfect and wonderful that were on the tip of Oscar’s tongue turned to ash.

“It’s not true” he said slowly getting up “It’s not true, I know it!”

“Please Oscar, I’m his best friend…”

“You’re just a girl!” Oscar spat “you don’t know what it was like! he wanted me!”

“He wants everyone, he doesn’t love you” Kath whispered trying to reach out to him but Oscar had already shouldered his backpack and picked up his book, he now faced her coldly and shook his head.

“He does!” and with that he left because he couldn’t believe his own words.

And because he realised he need now more than ever to talk to Andy, before he ruined everything for all of them.

*/*

The door opened slowly and Andy opened one eye  to see who was entering his room took one look at the school uniform and worried expression and closed it quickly, faking sleep.

A hand touched his and he heard the soft intake of breath a second before dry lips touched his and he had to open his eyes and stare at the person kissing him in sheer astonishment, the kiss broke and he managed to collect himself enough to say “No…” before he was kissed again with less gentleness then before.

the door opened again and this time the person coming into the room was rather larger, rather more anxious and now rather angry.

“Alison?” the confusion was written apparent upon Oscar’s face as the girl released Andy and blushed deeply.

“She kissed me!”

“Hi Oscar” Alison said, she held out her hand then thought better of it realising the gesture old fashioned and that Oscar looked ready to bite her hand off it she put it near enough to him.

“She bloody kissed me!”

“Well I should be going” Alison said, picking up her school bag and then turning to Andy “I’ll drop by later” she pushed past Oscar and out into the corridor and was lost in the bustle of the hospital.

“She’s fucking crazy!” Andy moaned, laying his head back amongst the pillows “she kissed me, the crazy cow, and she wants to come back! they have to move me again”

“I could smuggle you out if you like?” Oscar offered as he pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed, Andy swiped his tongue over his lips and shuddered.

“And she wares bubble gum flavoured lip-gloss, it’s disgusting” he laughed and reached for Oscar’s hand tugging him forward “You don’t mind licking it off do you?”

Oscar stared for a moment at Andy’s mouth remembering with vivid detail what he tasted like and decided in a instant bubblegum lip-gloss would ruin the flavour.

He leant forward and placed a quick kiss on Andy’s lips before drawing back and reseating himself.

“We need to talk” he said solemnly and watched Andy’s face fall.

“Oh” came the reply.

“What are we? I mean what you feel about me because Kath said you where just fucking with me and I didn’t think you where but I wanted to know…”

“You told Kath?” Andy shook his head “Oh great now I’ll have her down next all freaked because I gave you head when I’m supposed to be resting”

“I didn’t tell her what you did” Oscar said, blushing “just that we did stuff together…I didn’t go into details”

“She’ll still come down” Andy muttered darkly.

“So, tell me is she right?”

Andy looked at him for a moment, appraising him thoroughly before answering.

“No, she’s not right…I like you, I like being with you” and this time when he took Oscar’s hand he wove his fingers into Oscar’s and when he kissed him  it was wonderful.

They broke the kiss and Andy touched the bruise gentle and kissed it softly.

“I’m sorry” he said “I know it’s cos of me”

Oscar smiled “Worth it” he said without a trace of sarcasm.

TBC

thanks to everyone who reviewed, please continue to so I know you still like it.